I’m delighted to welcome the lovely Noelle Holten to the blog today to share details with us about her recently published debut, Dead Inside. Noelle blogs as CrimeBookJunkie and has been a massive reader and supporter to authors over the years, so I was really excited to read her first novel and found it to be a gripping page turner I couldn’t put down! Here she is to tell us a bit more about it.
Can you describe your new novel in one succinct but sensual sentence?
Dead Inside is a dark, thought provoking, chilling read that has an air of authenticity to it.
Who is your favourite character and why?
Difficult question because I have a few that I love and for various reasons. I love Lucy Sherwood (Quinn) for her strength. I love PC Kat Everett for her foul mouth. I love that I am still learning about DC Maggie Jamieson and I just know there is so much more to discover about her. But I absolutely adore Dr Kate Moloney – I’ve always been fascinated with offender profiling and the psychology behind crime. Kate’s character allows me to continue to explore that aspect and satiate my own curiosity and interest. I also love that Kate is a bit of a rebel and doesn’t want to conform to what / how society thinks she should be.
Which authors have been your main inspirations?
Every single crime author I have read is my inspiration. I’d be lying if I only pointed at one because the truth is, I draw inspiration from all of them. I think that since I started blogging and now writing, I am reading things differently. I love when I pick up something clever in a novel and have to give a hats off to the author. Listening to their stories, their successes and their failures has given me a realistic appreciation of what I can / should expect. And anyone who writes a book is definitely inspirational – finishing a novel is HARD work! So how could I not be inspired.
How does your writing process work; confusion and paper flying everywhere or calm and ordered?
I have a notebook where I just write rambling nonsense – things that may pop into my brain that I don’t want to forget at all hours. I carry one with me at all times too. When it comes to writing, I write the first chapter and the last chapter and hope that everything in between comes to me. Sometimes I have to change both the beginning and the ending slightly – but it gives me my focus. I also don’t write chronologically. In most cases, the chapters do follow one another but if something comes into my head, I have to write it at the time. It can make editing a bit of a nightmare, but I tried to write chronologically for the second book and hit a wall at 20k. If I just write what is in my head, I can generally type 1k+ in an hour, each night. Both my novels so far have taken about 10-12 weeks to write the rough draft, it’s the editing that takes the longest.
What is your guilty pleasure when writing? (Chocolate, wine, coffee…)
LOTS of coffee. I can also munch snacks periodically but as I generally only do one hour per day – there really is no excuse! Editing though – well anything that will stop me crying…cue chocolate or cinnamon buns…. now I want a cinnamon bun.
Please share your blurb with us
The killer is just getting started…
When three wife beaters are themselves found beaten to death, DC Maggie Jamieson knows she is facing her toughest case yet.
The police suspect that Probation Officer Lucy Sherwood – who is connected to all three victims – is hiding a dark secret. Then a fourth domestic abuser is brutally murdered.
And he is Lucy’s husband.
Now the police are running out of time, but can Maggie really believe her friend Lucy is a cold-blooded killer?
Huge thanks to Noelle for joining us today. If you like a fast moving thriller with a heart, you will love Dead Inside!
AUTHOR BIO
Noelle Holten is an award-winning blogger at www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk. She is the PR & Social Media Manager for Bookouture, a leading digital publisher in the UK, and was a regular reviewer on the Two Crime Writers and a Microphone podcast. Noelle worked as a Senior Probation Officer for eighteen years, covering a variety of cases including those involving serious domestic abuse. She has three Hons BA’s – Philosophy, Sociology (Crime & Deviance) and Community Justice – and a Masters in Criminology. Noelle’s hobbies include reading, author-stalking and sharing the booklove via her blog.
Dead Inside is her debut novel with Killer Reads/Harper Collins UK and the start of a new series featuring DC Maggie Jamieson.
Connect with Noelle on Social Media here:
Twitter: (@nholten40)
Facebook
Blog FB page
Instagram: @crimebookjunkie
BUY LINKS
Amazon
Apple Books
Kobo
Googleplay